Interacting Spheres Revisited. Academics and Administrators between Dualism and Cooperation Paper Presentation EAIR 2015 From here to there: Positioning Higher Education Institutions 37th EAIR forum, Danube University, Krems, Austria, Aug. 30 - Sept. 2, 2015. Ton Kallenberg
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Interacting Spheres Revisited. Academics and Administrators between Dualism and Cooperation
Paper Presentation EAIR 2015 From here to there: Positioning Higher Education Institutions
My questionsI was interested into two questions: • how do academics and administrators currently relate to each
other? (is there still talk of the existence of the interacting spheres) • are the “new professionals” really a new distinctive group of
officials?
introduction The Interacting Spheres model
New Professionals Research Results Discussion and
conclusions
The past (During the 70s - 80s) Universities were seen as: • loosely coupled systems (Weick, 1976) • decision-making processes: garbage can model (Cohen, March & Olsen,
1972) • a structure of chaos: organized anarchy as a respons to ambiguity (Moch &
Pondy, 1977) • hybrid organizations: various subsystems operate independently to each
other (In ’t Veld, 1984) • interacting spheres between academics and administrators (Hanson, 1979)
introduction The Interacting Spheres model
New Professionals Research Results Discussion and
conclusions
focus on innovations
mid 80’s quality assurance start of external accreditation processes
90’s learnability study methods & guidance / learning styles
00’s internationalization
teachers quality study progress curriculumstructure
emerge of attention for diversity / multicultural start international programs (f.i. IBA) teacher training programs (basis qualification) 40 ects after 1 year of study learning lines, elective, educational concepts (PBL)
The presentAs a results of these developments: • trend towards managerialism (Smeenk et al, 2009) • substantial drive towards greater accountability, performance, quality
inspection, target setting (and so on) (Deem & Brehony, 2005; Anderson, 2008; Kolsaker, 2008; Meek et al, 2010, Hyde et al, 2013)
• formation of third space professionals / new professionals / blended professionals (Whitchurch, 2006; Klumpp & Teichler, 2008)
• universities have become more bureaucratic organizations (“There is an irresistible rise of academic bureaucracy, and where does it stops?”)
introduction The Interacting Spheres model
New Professionals Research Results Discussion and
conclusions
My questionsI was interested into two questions: • how do academics and administrators currently relate to each
other? (is there still talk of the existence of the interacting spheres)
• are the “new professionals” really a new distinctive group of officials?
introduction The Interacting Spheres model
New Professionals Research Results Discussion and
conclusions
The interacting spheres modelTwo groups of officials: • academics engaged with primary tasks, namely education and
research • administrators (overhead) - management and support of the primary
tasks • pure overhead: human resources, finance control, facility
management etc. • specific educational and research support
introduction The Interacting Spheres model
New Professionals Research Results Discussion and
conclusions
Academics
Administrators
The Interacting Spheres Model (origin: Hanson, 1979)
introduction The Interacting Spheres model
New Professionals Research Results Discussion and
conclusions
flexible environment classroom decisions
autonomy
quasi rational environment school wide decisions
autority
contested zonenegotiated order conflict resolution
New professionalsas a result of the scale-up and political-administrative changes:
1. shift of decentralization and greater autonomy towards organizations • emerge of more differentiated sections, departments and services
2. emerge of more specialized tasks and functions with ‘power’ • shift from primary to secondary processes • shift in the balance between the two domains (academics and
administrators)
introduction The Interacting Spheres model
New Professionals Research Results Discussion and
conclusions
New professionalsthey: • work at the interface between administration, academics and university
leadership (Whitchurch, 2006, 2008, 2013; Mcfarlane, 2011) • have essential sector-specific expertise (Klücken et al, 2013) • monitor, regulate and manage the educational processes (Deem & Brehony,
2005) • can neither been seen as part of the administrators nor do they belong to the
2013) umbrella term for the middle manager from the academic staff who: ...is integrally responsible for program curricula, from strategy through to educational management
umbrella term for the middle manager from the administrative staff who: …play their role in developing, supporting, and advising on educational activities. … show scientific aspirations
director educational affairs head quality control educational advisor program coordinator
introduction The Interacting Spheres model
New Professionals Research Results Discussion and
conclusions
These new professionals: • work between the organizational structure of checks and
balances • they work “under the radar” • they are the lubricant between the domains • they work with both the academic and administrative rhythms,
timescales and staff • they work with the different perceptions of power between
academic and administrative staff. • By being aware of their binding function, they can use their
(tacit) knowledge to interpret and synthesize this knowledge within the organization (prism-effect)
introduction The Interacting Spheres model
New Professionals Research Results Discussion and
conclusions
The research• online survey (SurveyMonkey) • may - june 2015 • 6 Dutch universities (out of 13) - • 1.632 addresses (from websites) of employees of faculties. • 548 respondents (31,6%) - 487 in dataset. • in questionnaire - three levels: (1) curriculum processes, (2)
education support processes, (3) education conditional processes
introduction The Interacting Spheres model
New Professionals Research Results Discussion and
conclusions
Academics
!introduction The Interacting
Spheres modelNew
Professionals Research Results Discussion and conclusions
Academics
introduction The Interacting Spheres model
New Professionals Research Results Discussion and
conclusions
academics (current) (N=222) third space professionals (N=104) administrators (current) (N=147)
Discussion & Conclusions• The both questions can be answered affirmative • The Interacting Spheres Model:
• academic middle managers want to have more influence on education supportive processes (planning & logistics / engineering & infrastructure)
• educational administrators want to have more influence on curriculum processes
• academics want to have more influence on conditional processes (finance, strategy)
introduction The Interacting Spheres model
New Professionals Research Results Discussion and
conclusions
Discussion & Conclusions
introduction The Interacting Spheres model
New Professionals Research Results Discussion and
conclusions
• Loosely Coupled System is still there! (esp. Administrators seems to be an archipelago or a Patchwork)
• New Professionals are a new specialized buffer zone between academics and administrators
• Will there be a ‘fourth power’ (educational administrators)? (or: when will there be a stop on the rise of the bureaucracy?)
Discussion & Conclusions• Why a patchwork?
• there’s no communality • no vision on the future • conflicting interests • totally different interests • all kind of decisions are made in addition to and independently of each other
• The meaning of this for educational innovation? Questions! • How to increase the succes rate of innovations? (Keep it small!) • How to avoid stickiness in innovations after a change of focus of attention? (towards a
new hype) (incremental innovation!)
introduction The Interacting Spheres model
New Professionals Research Results Discussion and
conclusions
Discussion & Conclusions• Further research:
• increase the respondents to massive frequencies • several European countries (Belgium, Denmark, Germany, UK,
etc.) • use of Actor Network Theory for more significant understanding of
the connection between people (cultural anthropological approach)
introduction The Interacting Spheres model
New Professionals Research Results Discussion and
conclusions
You are invited to download the presentation on: www.slidesharenet.com/tonkallenberg
The paper will be available on: https://leidenuniv.academia.edu/TonKallenberg